"An extraordinary reward?"
Kurose Akira glanced at the notification window that had just appeared before him, and a flicker of surprise rippled through his chest.
He was intensely curious—what exactly did this so-called extraordinary reward mean?
And then there was…
"'A private petal? Inconceivable consequences?'"
His expression turned instantly grave. Wasn't this basically guaranteed to get him caught?
After all, just moments ago, the White Rose Valkyrie had been watching everything that transpired here.
But… maybe not.
Ever since Her voice had abruptly cut off, there had been no further sign of movement. No divine pressure. No whisper in the wind.
Perhaps She was no longer paying attention. Perhaps Her focus had already shifted elsewhere.
Otherwise—if She had truly noticed—divine wrath would have descended by now. There was no way things would still be this calm.
"Maybe… I should just put it back?"
Kurose hesitated, preparing to return the petal to the bud it had fallen from.
Yet before his fingers could even touch it, the bud withered in an instant—shriveling into nothing, crumbling into a wisp of gray ash.
The sudden change left him frozen.
So… was this petal from the White Rose Valkyrie destined to remain in his hands?
Or should he just toss it here and pretend none of this happened?
The thought surfaced—then he immediately rejected it.
He couldn't guarantee the petal wouldn't wither like the bud. If it turned to ash as well, then what difference would it make whether he had taken it or not?
The White Rose Valkyrie would still come knocking to settle accounts…
After weighing it again and again, Kurose finally decided to store the small petal in his backpack for the time being.
Before putting it away, however, he lifted it to his nose and inhaled softly.
"What a strange fragrance…"
The scent was unlike any flower he had ever smelled before.
Richer. Deeper. There was something layered within it—an almost oceanic vastness, as though tides were rolling endlessly beneath its sweetness.
And yet, no matter how carefully he inhaled, he could not unravel the mystery hidden within that aroma.
With no better option, he placed it inside his pack, then turned to Natasha.
"It's almost dawn. We need to leave."
"Mm." Natasha nodded, finishing dressing. The two of them returned to Loxiya's room.
By then, Loserine had completed her comprehension of [Unlimited Sword Creation] and was sitting quietly by the bedside. Loxiya herself remained fast asleep, her breathing soft and even.
"Loserine! It's really been a long time!" Natasha waved enthusiastically, her face bright with a sweet smile.
Loserine merely inclined her head slightly in response, her expression restrained as always.
"We should head back to the guild," Kurose reminded gently.
"Mm."
Loserine rose without another word, lifting the Oathbound Sword that leaned against the wall.
Kurose activated the teleportation circle. A white magic array shimmered to life across Loxiya's room, radiating pale brilliance.
"We're heading out," he said to Natasha before stepping inside.
"Alright." She nodded, then turned to Loserine with a soft smile. "Your birthday's in two days. Loxiya and I will be waiting for you at home."
"…Mm."
Loserine held Natasha's gaze for several seconds before giving a quiet nod. Then she followed Kurose into the glowing teleportation circle.
A flash of white light—
—and the two vanished, reappearing inside the guild.
But the moment Kurose stepped through the threshold, his expression darkened.
The air was thick with a heavy, intoxicating fragrance.
He recognized it instantly.
After all… it originated from himself.
"Yvessa? Aelice?"
A strange premonition stirred in his chest. He quickened his pace toward his bedroom. The instant he pushed the door open, he saw Yvessa seated together with Elum, Aelice, and Violetta.
They were… hosting a tea party?
Inside his bedroom?
But what they were drinking…
Kurose's gaze fell upon the four teacups on the table—each filled with crimson tea radiating dazzling holy light.
He went completely silent.
He never could have imagined that one day… his Holy Light would be used as a tea ingredient.
His sudden arrival made all four women beam with delight.
"Master, you're back~"
"Mr. Kurose~ Welcome home~"
"…"
"Yvessa! Get over here!"
"Mr. Kurose~ nooo~"
"Don't—ah—stop—"
One hour later.
"...Tch."
Kurose sat on the sofa in the guild hall, face solemn.
The confidence he had only just regained from Natasha had once again been thoroughly dismantled—enthusiastically so—by Yvessa.
That succubus was simply too powerful.
Still…
Though his life-force mana had been completely drained, the accumulated "Honey" value had reached 55!
His efforts hadn't been in vain.
That was great.
Kurose thought this while his legs trembled uncontrollably.
Just then, a system notification popped up before his eyes:
[Attention: 1 hour remaining until C-Rank Guild Evaluation! Please prepare accordingly!]
"So it's finally here?"
A smile tugged at his lips.
He was finally about to advance to C-rank guild status.
[You have received a private message!]
"A private message?" He blinked in confusion and tapped the notification to open it.
[Fei: You're advancing to C-rank?]
"How did you know?" Kurose asked, surprised at how quickly Xu Feiyan seemed to get information.
[Fei: Whenever a player is about to promote to C-rank, the system randomly selects one player rated above C-rank to serve as their examiner. Only by passing this test can the player successfully advance. Otherwise, the promotion is postponed.]
"A randomly assigned player above C-rank? So the C-rank evaluation is basically like a guild war?" Kurose asked curiously.
[Fei: Yes and no. The player promoting to C-rank may deploy all adventurers in their guild to challenge three adventurers from the randomly selected higher-ranked player's guild. But don't worry—the examiner's rating will be at most C+. Furthermore, the battle is protected by World Law. Even if participants suffer severe injuries during combat, their bodies will be fully restored afterward.]
[Fei: The mechanism exists to ensure players possess sufficient strength to handle C-rank missions. Of course, the randomly selected player receives rewards regardless of victory or defeat. If they win, the reward is even more generous. This system applies not only to C-rank—advancement to A-rank has a similar process.]
"I see." Kurose nodded thoughtfully.
"With the strength of the Immortal Consort Guild, your C-rank promotion must have been smooth, right?"
[Fei: Mm, fairly smooth. You don't need to worry too much. With your guild's current strength, even a B-rank guild would struggle to pose a threat to you—let alone a C or C+ guild.]
"That's reassuring." Kurose exhaled lightly, then asked with curiosity, "So how did you know I was the one promoting?"
[Fei: Coincidentally, the person matched to evaluate your promotion this time happens to be a girl in one of my close-friends group chats. She posted your name in the group, so I saw it.]
"A close-friends group?"